A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

“Ah, good day to you, Kus…uhm,” as the velociraptor-looking scale-kin greeted us, Colwyn intended to reciprocate it but stumbled on his words for some reason.

“Kushlek’zar is my name,” the scale-kin answered with a polite bow, swinging his brown-green scaled robes around in a dignified way.

Colwyn flinched back, quickly apologizing to him for his failure to remember his name, “Oh! Crap, sorry about that. That was inappropriate as your contractor.”

"I take no offense, you may rest your worries, Chief Colwyn. It is a hard name to pronounce for anybody not used to us saurians,” the saurian, Kushlek’zar, revealed as he shook his green velociraptor head to the sides, waving the plumage on his head around.

He calls himself a saurian but what is so different from him compared to a lizardfolk? Is the giant guy also a saurian? But he looks more or less like Caszcur, but with a larger frame and more menacing features.

Hmmm, should I use [Identify] on them? I kinda want to know how strong they are for a C rank mercenary party.

As I was contemplating the idea, the giant crocodile saurian suddenly moved it’s head to face our direction, seemingly returning the stare that I was giving him. Flustered, I abandoned any thought of using [Identify] and just turned back to the discussion on hand.

Besides, I think it might be best to use [Identify] reservedly on people that I’m not planning to fight. I don’t know about others but Saori and I considered it to be a breach of privacy and something that we shouldn't be using just to satisfy our curiosity.

Think about it for a moment, what would happen if their [Identity Blocker] were to level up if I used [Identify] on them? If you were in that person’s shoes, what would you do? If I was that person, I would immediately become suspicious.

You don’t get any warnings or signals if somebody identified you, something I learned when our party used it on ourselves to train our skills, but once you know that the other person has [Identify] then you don’t need to be a detective to understand what’s going on. I knew by instinct that the garm matriarch, Astalos, and the Leviathan used it on me to spy on my skills.

It isn’t the greatest feeling when you know somebody could access your status board. Common sense told me that if I wanted to stay on somebody’s good side, then I shouldn’t use the skill willy-nilly.

Remind me to level my own [Identity Blocker] later in the day, parallel minds.

After finishing the talks with Colwyn, he finally moved his head towards my party, greeting us with another prayer-like bow before politely asking who we were, “Ashlak’leel sa’got toth zacotl, guests to our camp. My name is Kushlek’zar and I am the speaker for my comrades.”

Understanding that it was our time to introduce ourselves, we walked forwards and Saori began for us, “It is a pleasure to have made your acquaintance, Mister Kushlek’zar, I am Saori Segawa. I hope we are not intruding.”

“Oh, a wolfkin, I presume? I am still not perfectly capable of identifying the beastmen from Altrust, so I hope I did not guess wrongly," he said with a wide grin, fitting for a dinosaur-like head. “Miss Saori, it is an honor to meet someone like you.”

“Blessed water to you, Mister Kushlek’zar, may our Goddess’ kindness grace your with warm tides,” Tasianna said, greeting him respectfully as a fellow worshipper of Plesia. “My name is Tasianna Marina Silverpond, and I greet you on our Lady’s behalf.”

Huh? She’s back to her usual self? I thought as Tasianna gave Kushlek’zar a curtsy and moved behind me.

“Ocean’s bounty to you too, Miss Tasianna. It is always a pleasure to be acquainted with more of our goddess’ followers, for the land is lonesome so far from the sea,” he responded as he held onto a pendant with an emblem of a woman’s head, framed by tentacle-looking hair. “Am I right to conclude that this is your mistress, Miss Saori and Miss Tasianna?”

He let go of his pendant and placed one hand on his chest and the other behind his back, greeting me with a formal bow, “It is a great honor to meet a dragonewt so far from Loatryx. I must admit, I did not expect to meet another scale-kin so deep into the continent of Altrust.”

Pinching the hem of my robes, I reciprocated his greeting with an elegant curtsy while raising my tail, “The honor is mine, Mister Kushlek’zar, this young scale salutes you with her tail raised. My name is Hestia Atsuko and my party is here at the request of Chief Colwyn to meet our potential allies for his Quest.”

Nailing the formal speech is pretty satisfying when you consider that I've only been speaking this language for two months now. Granted, I had a pretty good tutor in Tasianna who could immediately send this sorta information through [Telepathy] into my mind, where the skill immediately translates everything for me.

I’ve been having my parallel minds just remember as many words as possible, accelerating my learning process while I practiced sentence structure and grammar by speaking with Tasianna and Saori. As Tasianna has been our primary language tutor, our accent and speaking habits were mostly influenced by hers, although I do admit that the lizardmen had a profound effect on me, too.

However, I do wonder why both Saori and Tasianna introduced themselves with their full names? W-Why I did it? W-Well, I can’t just not do it, right? I don’t want to be left out!

“This elder scale is joyous to have met you,” Kushlek’zar grinned happily, revealing his long tongue. “I am also glad to hear that you have acquired more help for us, Chief Colwyn. It is always better to have more allies before one jumps into the water’s depths.”

“Ah, yes, of course. We just got word that the mercenaries who previously accepted this quest were defeated. I hope your party is still willing to take on the Quest,” Colwyn said with caution, aware that hearing this might scare away most people.

“We appreciate your concerns but rest assured, we have no intentions of not fulfilling this Quest, Chief Colwyn,” clearly, this scale-kin wasn’t ‘most people’. "We are members of the 'Tide Watchers', a group of free-roaming 'Depths Guards' that serve our Goddess Plesia by bringing justice to people that need it. Those bandits have caused injustice to pious followers of Origin Goddess Aurena. How can we overlook the continuous existence of these criminals?”

Upon hearing that, Colwyn heaved a sigh in relief, "Oh, thank you so very much! If there is anything you need, then please ask me before you leave! I cannot pay you any more than the Quest is offering but I’ll provide whatever rations or tools you need!"

“I thank you on behalf of my brothers-in-arms, however, by bringing more fighters, you have helped us enough,” Kushlek’zar then turned to us, staring at us inquisitively before speaking. “Krim-slak. Grazlahta. What are your opinions on our guests?”

The two tall saurians who were sitting behind Kushlek’zar stopped sharpening their weapons and took a look at us three. Considering we were planning to do the same to them, it was only fair if we reciprocated their actions.

Compared to Kushlek’zar who was a head shorter than Saori due to his slouched back, these tall saurians were about two meters tall (6’7”). Equipped with giant reptilian muscles that could make a human strongman look weak, these saurians with two short, spiked crests above their eyes looked exactly what you would expect if the ferocious dinosaur carnotaurus were to become a humanoid.

Showing some scars despite being armored to the teeth with their thick, hardened scales and heavy, scaled armor, it was undebatable that these two were seasoned warriors, veterans of the battlefield.

Without needing to use [Identify], my draconic instincts were telling me that these guys were strong. I wasn’t sure how strong they were, but they were clearly C rank or above if they were to be considered monsters.

“…No armor and their clothing aren’t enchanted. They don’t look like warriors,” the blue saurian on the left, Krim-slak, said concisely. “…I wouldn’t underestimate them, though. The young scale and wolfkin are experienced, I can see it from their eyes. They know how to observe others with keen focus.”

“Mages? Probably. The wind elf has a chill around her, I can feel it,” the red saurian on the right, Grazlahta, continued the analysis. “However, I agree with Krim. The young scale’s claws could pierce my scales, and I feel like everything about myself is being scrutinized by that wolfkin’s blood-red eyes. I feel uneasy around them is all I can say.”

"Yes, I can feel mana in their clothes. There are no enchantments on them, so they probably are mana clothing," Kushlek’zar correctly guessed. “As my tail is my witness, I apologize for our failure. We cannot fully understand your abilities from sight alone. As we will become future companions, could we get a look at your IDs?”

Uh oh…

“Uhh, Kushlek’zar? I didn’t get to that point yet,” Colwyn said as he scratched his head. “These lasses don’t have any IDs. They told me that they lost them in the Belzac Forest.”

“Belzac Forest?” Kushlek’zar’s eyes widened in surprise, turning away from Colwyn and back to us. "…Still, as warriors, you must understand that we cannot believe those words without proof. Under Xohulotel, the serpent god’s eye, I cannot risk my party’s safety by accepting unknown mercenaries. If you cannot produce IDs to display your abilities, then I ask if I may use my [Identify] on you.”

“Pardon?” Saori exclaimed. “You wish to see our status boards like that?”

"Yes, however, if you do not wish to show specific information then I will have no problem if you block it with [Identity Blocker]. I only wish to know your combat prowess,” he answered. “I have no worries that a fellow worshipper of our goddess and her companions will be truthful. All your information will only be known to my group, I swear as my tail is my witness."

Realizing what he meant by that, our party quickly held a telepathic conversation, [“Bump it up to level 10?”]

[“Agreed, Hestia.”]

[“By your command, Lady Hestia.”]

Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [Identity Blocker Lv. 4] evolved into [Identity Blocker Lv. 10]. 2350 SP remaining

Oof, 1750 SP spent…but I guess we will need this to hide our status boards from others. Our luck that this guy is polite enough to warn us before using [Identify]!

From doing skill experiments with Saori and Tasianna, I’ve learned that the skill [Identity Blocker] allowed me to choose which skill I wanted others to see, without hiding everything. That meant that I could allow people with lower levels of [Identify] to look at my status board. However, the skill was picky about what I could do with it. I could neither change skill levels nor could we get rid of “Information Blocked”, no matter how many times we tried.

So, after taking out everything related to the gods, my dragon heritage, and being a reincarnator, my status board looked like this now:

Hestia's Dragonewt Status Board

Profile:

Name: Hestia Atsuko

Level: 80

Race: Spark Inferno Dragonewt

Age: 15 Years

Job: None

Status:

Health: 2932/2932(Dra: 5864) Mana: 9692/9692(Dra: 19284) Strength: 1427 (Dra: 2853) Intelligence: 2731 (Dra: 5461) Vitality: 723 (Dra: 1446) Wisdom: 891 (Dra: 1781) Agility: 2950 (Dra: 5900) Stamina: 1476/1476(Dra: 2951) Effects: None Skill: Magic and related

[Lava Magic Lv. 2]

[Lightning Magic Lv. 1]

[Holy Magic Lv. 10]

[Holy Amp]

[Holy Magic Efficiency]

[Sacred Magic Lv. 5]

[Fire Magic Lv. 10]

[Fire Amp]

[Fire Magic Efficiency]

[Inferno Magic Lv. 5]

[Earth Magic Lv. 10]

[Earth Amp]

[Earth Magic Efficiency]

[Terra Magic Lv. 2]

[Wind Magic Lv. 10]

[Wind Amp]

[Wind Magic Efficiency]

[Storm Magic Lv. 1]

[Space-Time Magic Lv. 4]

[Space-Time Magic Efficiency]

[Synergist’s Oath Lv. 5]

[Silent Casting Lv. 7] (+1)

[Magic Power Enhancement Lv. 6]

[Mental Stability Lv. 6] (+1)

[Mental Warfare Lv. 4]

[Mana Eyes Lv. 2] (New)

Physical and related

[Unarmed Technique Lv. 5] (+1)

[Sundering Enhancement Lv. 4]

[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 4]

[Crushing Enhancement Lv. 2]

Movement and senses

[Silence Lv. 1] (New)

[Accuracy Correction Lv. 6]

[Concentration Lv. 2]

[Foresight Lv. 1] (New)

[Danger Perception Lv. 3]

[Probability Correction Lv. 5]

[Detection Sensor Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Vision Lv. 5]

[Tracking Lv. 3]

[Night Vision Lv. 8]

[Odorless Lv. 1] (New)

[Evasion Lv. 10]

[Acrobatic Lv. 10]

[Air Walk Lv. 2]

[Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 4]

Resistances

[Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 4] (+2)

[Absolute Pain Tolerance]

[Mental Corruption Resistance Lv. 3] (New)

[Mind Protection Lv. 3] (New)

[Mana Leak Resistance Lv. 1]

[Abnormal Status Nullification]

[Fear Resistance Lv. 2] (+1)

[Lava Resistance Lv.1]

[Holy Resistance Lv. 4]

[Inferno Resistance Lv. 2]

[Terra Resistance Lv. 1]

[Wind Resistance Lv. 2]

[Water Resistance Lv. 1]

[Dark Resistance Lv. 1]

Growths and related

[Health Recovery Lv. 4]

[Stamina Recovery Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 6]

[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 4]

[Arcane Conduit Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Sorcerer’s Power Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Speed of Sound Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 6] (+1)

[Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 4]

Others

[Singing Lv. 7] (+1)

[Dancing Lv. 5] (+1)

[Musician Lv. 3] (+2)

[Stage Fever Lv. 1] (New)

[Handicraft Lv. 2] (+1)

[Woodworking Lv. 3] (+1)

[Stonecrafting Lv. 1] (New)

[Poison Creation Lv. 5]

[Trap Creation Lv. 5] (+1)

[Identity Blocker Lv. 10] (+6)

[Identify Lv. 10]

[Noble Aura Lv. 6] (+1)

[Benevolent Aura Lv. 1]

[Alluring Aura Lv. 1] (New)

[Terror Aura Lv. 1]

[Admiration Lv. 1] (New)

[Battle Mind Lv. 6]

[Royal Etiquette Lv. 2]

[Leadership Lv. 5]

[Cooking Lv. 7]

[Dismantle Lv. 7]

[Thought Acceleration Lv. 2]

[High-Speed Calculation Lv. 1] (New)

[Multi-Thought Processing Lv. 1] (New)

[Parallel Thoughts Lv. 9]

[Body Temperature Control Lv. 2]

[Pyrokinesis]

[Aerokinesis]

[Telepathy]

Spell List: Custom

[Imperial Hellfire]

Lightning

[Lightning Bolt]

Lava

[Lava Ball]

[Lava Stream]

Holy

[Minor Heal]

[Cure]

[Modest Heal]

[Smite]

[Light]

[Holy Protection]

[Holy Strength]

[Purify]

[Sacred Smite]

[Sacred Veil]

[Sacred Field]

[Banishment Beam]

[Major Heal]

Fire

[Fire]

[Firebolt]

[Imbue Fire]

[Fire Ball]

[Strengthening Flames]

[Flame Spear]

[Petal Flame]

[Flame Explosion]

[Inferno Blast]

[Blazing Twister]

[Inferno Beam]

[Scorching Sun]

[Spiral Hellfire]

Earth

[Earth Wall]

[Rock Blast]

[Earth Strike]

[Rock Bullet]

[Sturdy Earth]

[Earth Spears]

[Earth Crash]

[Earthen Shackles]

[Terra Wall]

[Bedrock Blades]

Wind

[Wind Bullet]

[Wind Cutter]

[Air Shield]

[Wind Slash]

[Swift Winds]

[Wind Blast]

[Featherfall]

[Aerial Blitz]

[Tornado Bullet]

Space-Time

[Haste]

[Storage Magic]

[Warp Point: Entry]

My status board is still pretty long even after taking the most interesting parts out. I also took out [Toxin Secretion] as I found it a bit too…dangerous to show? I mean, what would your first impression be if you saw that skill in my status board, huh?

“Alright, we are done. You may look if you wish,” Saori urged, inviting Kushlek’zar to take a look.

After widening his eyes two or three times, he stayed quiet for a second before expressing his surprise to us, “Well…my expectations leaped away like a jippotyhopper, that is for sure. I have no more need to question your abilities. As you have come to assess us, it would only be fair if I gave you a look, too. Do you possess party bracelets, Lady Hestia?”

Huh?! Why is he calling me ‘Lady Hestia’ now?! I-I’m pretty sure I hid everything that could prove me a princess! [Royal Etiquette] has a very ‘princess’-like name but it really is only responsible for etiquette, as both Saori and Tasianna had it!

Regardless of my flustered reaction to him addressing me with “Lady Hestia”, Saori and I both showed our iron party bracelets that we looted from those trolls that captured Tasianna. Tasianna couldn’t show hers as it only fitted her fairy form, which was out of the question as we didn’t want anybody knowing that she was a fairy.

“Wha-!?” flinching backward from the sight of our bracelets, Kushlek’zar needed a few seconds to reboot his brain to form a proper response. “I…there are quite a few surprises today. Oh, great Xohulotel, I have many stories to retell you this evening. I apologize but considering how those bracelets do not have these chains, like on mine, I can confidently say that they are far too old to be able to read IDs and accept Quests.”

It was a revelation, but not a surprising one. Tasianna already informed us that our bracelets were very outdated models, so old that they weren’t even decorated and looked like simple iron rings. Tasianna’s fairy bracelet, on the other hand, was beautifully crafted with plenty of colors and engravings, even possessing the emblem of the Patron Goddess of the Fairies, Zephira.

We kinda knew this would happen. Not only did we not have any IDs but we also lacked proper party bracelets to accept the Quest in the first place.

“Chief Colwyn, we have no problem working with these fine warriors but without IDs nor a party bracelet, I do not know how we are supposed to share contribution. Even without an ID, we could still share the Quest by partying up,” Kushlek’zar said with disappointment.

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about that fact. I’ll personally go to the guild to give them a report after it's done. Doesn't the guild have a retroactive acceptance system? That should work for the ladies, right?” Colwyn answered.

“Hmm, that is the case. Excellent, if you are willing to do that, then there should be no problems for them to join us,” the scale-kin answered with elation. “Lady Hestia, Miss Saori, and Miss Tasianna, you allowed me to use [Identify] on you three, so it is only right from us to allow you the same. We four saurians are ready."

Looking between the two carnotaurus-looking saurians and the massive crocodile-looking one, none of them showed any displeasure, simply nodding at us to do so. It seems Kushlek’zar wasn’t lying when he told us that he was the voice of this party. Everybody respected his decision.

The three of us decided on splitting the work between us. Saori would identify the crocodile one, Tasianna would do the two carnotauruses, while I would inspect the velociraptor Kushlek’zar. We could always share the information amongst us later on, so there was no need for us all of us to look at them individually.

Identify.

Kushlek'zar's Status Board

Profile:

Name: Kushlek'zar

Level: 71

Race: Raptorsilian

Age: 64 Years

Job: Depth Priest

Status:

Health: 4612/4612 Mana: 5120/5120 Strength: 1843 Intelligence: 2453 Vitality: 1432 Wisdom: 2031 Agility: 2147 Stamina: 3143/3143 Effects: None Skill: Magic and related

[Mana Control Lv. 10]

[Mana Efficiency Lv. 10]

[Arcane Mind Lv. 10]

[Water Magic Lv. 10]

[Water Amp]

[Water Magic Efficiency]

[Torrent Magic Lv. 6]

[Chant Revocation Lv. 9]

[Silent Casting Lv. 6]

[Magic Power Enhancement Lv. 7]

[Synergist’s Oath Lv. 7]

[Mental Stability Lv. 8]

[Mental Warfare Lv. 3]

[Multi-Cast Lv. 7]

[Delayed Cast Lv. 5]

[Continuous Cast Lv. 6]

[Fluid Cast Lv. 3]

[Arcane Chorus Lv. 3]

[Long-Range Spell Enhancement Lv. 3]

Physical and related

[Unarmed Technique Lv. 3]

[Unarmed Mastery Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Claws Lv. 6]

[Enhanced Fang Lv. 3]

[Mana Strike Lv. 6]

[Sundering Enhancement Lv. 2]

[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 1]

[Crushing Enhancement Lv. 1]

Movement and senses

[Stealth Lv. 9]

[Accuracy Correction Lv. 7]

[Concentration Lv. 8]

[Foresight Lv. 1]

[Danger Perception Lv. 8]

[Probability Correction Lv. 6]

[Detection Sensor Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 7]

[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 6]

[Enhanced Vision Lv. 6]

[Tracking Lv. 8]

[Night Vision Lv. 10]

[Presence Killer Lv. 7]

[Evasion Lv. 10]

[Acrobatic Lv. 7]

[Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 7]

Resistances

[Physical Resistance Lv. 7]

[Pain Resistance Lv. 9]

[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 10]

[Mental Corruption Resistance Lv. 1]

[Abnormal Status Nullification]

[Fear Resistance Lv. 6]

[Holy Resistance Lv. 4]

[Fire Resistance Lv. 4]

[Earth Resistance Lv. 7]

[Wind Resistance Lv. 6]

[Torrent Resistance Lv. 2]

[Dark Resistance Lv. 4]

Growths and related

[Health Recovery Lv. 6]

[Mana Recovery Lv. 8]

[Stamina Recovery Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 7]

[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 9]

[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 7]

[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 7]

[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 6]

[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 6]

[Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 3]

Others

[Handicraft Lv. 7]

[Woodworking Lv. 4]

[Stonecrafting Lv. 3]

[Poison Creation Lv. 7]

[Trap Creation Lv. 6]

[Identity Blocker Lv. 7]

[Identify Lv. 8]

[Benevolent Aura Lv. 6]

[Terror Aura Lv. 4]

[Battle Mind Lv. 2]

[Leadership Lv. 7]

[Cooking Lv. 1]

[Dismantle Lv. 8]

[Body Temperature Control Lv. 6]

Job Skills

[Water Amp]

[Water Magic Efficiency]

[Torrent Amp]

[Water Resistance Lv. 10]

[Supportive Spell Amp]

[Hydration Healing]

[Ocean Pressure Resistance Lv. 8]

[Depths Guard’s Unity]

Spell List: Job

[Depth’s Call]

[Plesia’s Grasp]

[Tidecaller’s Blessing]

[Depth Priest’s Blessing]

[Invocation of Water]

Custom

[Create Water]

[Greater Create Water]

[Ocean’s Blast]

[Moisture Sucker]

[Marine Lungs]

[Slithering Serpent]

[Xohulotel’s Wrath]

[Xohulotel’s Scaled Barrier]

[Tehenhauin]

[Saurian’s Rage]

[Raptor’s Agility]

Water

[Water Ball]

[Water Wall]

[Water Bolt]

[Cleanse]

[Protective Water]

[Droplet Torrent]

[Aqua Prison]

[Aqua Beam]

[Torrential Rain]

[Ocean Healing]

[Azure Blade]

[Sapphire Membrane]

[Kraken’s Destruction]

[Perilous Tidefall]

…He is a-!

“Thank you very much…that was educational,” Saori uttered, showing an expression mixed with surprise and interests. “Thank you, we would be happy to help a veteran party like yours.”

“So, does that mean you three will take the Quest?” Colwyn asked with a smile on his face.

The three of us looked at each other and wordlessly nodded our heads.

I then turned towards Colwyn and gave him a small nod, “Yes, Chief Colwyn. The three us will accept your Quest and we will bring back your villagers. As my tail is my witness, I promise you that.”

After escorting Chief back to the village, our party was given some rations and a few bags for the trip as we never had the chance to explain to them that I had a feast stored inside my storage magic. We also said goodbye to Lorena and promised her that we would bring her parents back, and then we departed back to the saurians.

Once we returned, Kushlek’zar welcomed us, “Welcome back, our allies. This might be very sudden, but I believe we have enough people for the Quest, so we wish to depart. Shall we?”

From a numerical standpoint, seven might not be enough but the quality of the party was what made me agree with Kusklek’zar. On the way back, our party shared what we learned from each of the saurians and we understood from this that we were covering all the basics that you would expect a team composition would look like in a video game.

At a minimum, you had to have at least one warrior, mage, priest, and rogue; which we fulfilled splendidly.

“Yeah, let’s do it. We are ready to go whenever you want,” I answered.

He nodded to my affirmation, grinning with satisfaction, “Excellent, we must not rest until those bandits are brought to justice, either by our hands or the law.”

‘By our hands or the law’, huh? What will I do?

My party took on the Quest fully knowing these bandits would not just stand by and let us free the kidnapped. If they really are criminals, then we had to be ready for them to resist us and that meant a fight was entirely possible. While subduing a weak opponent was as easy as beating Saori in a dance battle, the problem lies in when we meet somebody as strong as Kushlek’zar and his party, where holding back could mean our deaths.

We would be idiots if we hadn’t thought of this possibility.

“I cannot wait to see your abilities in action. As a mage myself, there is so much to learn from observing other practitioners and it would be considered rude if I wasn’t interested, heh,” Kushlek’zar joyfully said, snickering as he mulled over the idea. “Oh right, there was something I wanted to ask you and your companions before we go. I don’t believe you to be novices, but most members of the mercenary guild would ask this question of people they’d never fought alongside before. Call it a tradition, and as a worshipper of our goddess of the depths, I must respect it, no?"

“Oh yeah, sure,” I responded carefreely, believing it to be a trivial question.

“Thank you,” Kushklek’zar thanked me with another prayer-like bow. “Have you ever killed a humanoid before, Lady Hestia the Dragoness?”

…WHAT?!